Develop and Enact a Social Justice Orientation toward Teaching and Learning

For the competency “Develop and Enact a Social Justice Orientation toward Teaching and Learning”, I have selected two papers to represent my ability to understand changes in the landscape of diversity, inclusivity, and social justice and to be an advocate for such values. These artifacts are “Sexuality and Normativity in Education” and “Personal Philosophy on Multicultural Education”.

The “Sexuality and Normativity in Education” paper demonstrates how I’ve developed a critical understanding of changing demographics and the diversity of students, schools, and communities. During the writing of this paper, I was challenged to understand how sexuality and normativity have been influenced by education. I articulated ways in which sexuality is represented via overt and hidden curricula. In addition, I identified stereotypical situations of how sexuality is represented in training activities, facilitator language, and content translations within corporate training.

The “Personal Philosophy on Multicultural Education” paper demonstrates my commitment to advocating for the values of diversity, inclusivity, and social justice. During the writing of this paper, I was able to reflect and refine my philosophy and define three multicultural goals that will have strong input into the way I approach my profession. Given the exposure to sexuality and normativity in education, amongst other diversity, equity, and social justice values, it was important for me to set specific practices to ensure I advocate for these values and increase my commitment as ethical and responsible learning professional. 

As a diversity, equity, and inclusion learning professional who has a scope of related work in diversity, equity, and inclusion, I immediately committed to this study of work as it would contribute to my awareness and understanding of the complex issues that exist in our context today. As diversity, equity, and social justice evolved over the years, these papers allowed me to deep dive into specific topics of interest and identify opportunities for me to act in my own work. 

Finally, as I reflect on these two papers, my profession required me to be a responsible advocate for others and act in an ethical and respectful manner. An element of social justice is doing the right thing for others and these papers have helped me precisely articulate this. I will be continuously assessing learning and educational materials to ensure learners are getting a just understanding and education as it will be important for our future. These papers helped me see how education can influence our beliefs and shape how diversity, equity, and social justice are integrated into our day-to-day lives as they evolve.